“Back off, Pete,” I said.
“You gotta expect it. You hang with trash, and sooner or later somebody is going to trash you.”
Pete always tried to pick a fight whenever we ran into him. He had a pretty big chip on his shoulder, since being kicked out of HTA meant he lost his hockey scholarship and his dad refused to pay for anything other than community college.
“Yo, Pete?” one of his friends called from the group near the exit. “This place blows, man. Didn’t you say you know a dude who can get us into The Depot?”
The Depot? I stuck my hand in my jacket pocket and fingered the plastic card I’d found this morning at Day’s.
Pete glanced back at his friend. “Yeah, Ty. You want to announce that a little louder to rest of the world?”
“Whatever, let’s go.”
“Good thing for you I’ve got better places to be.” Pete flicked his cigarette at Daniel’s feet. He turned back toward his friends and started to walk away.
Daniel let out a small sigh.
Pete liked to talk the talk, but he usually found an excuse to walk away when Daniel didn’t react to his goading. And I knew I should just let him keep on going, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing what I did next.
“Wait, Pete,” I called after him.
“What?” Pete looked back at me.
“What are you doing, Grace?” Daniel whispered. “Let him go.”
I shook my head. “The Depot? Where is it?” I asked Pete.
He laughed. “You want to go to The Depot?”
“Can you just tell me where it is? It’s important.”
Pete laughed even harder. His friends all watched us now. He took a step toward me. “And what do I get in return for this bit of information? Or are you looking to ditch this piece of trash here and come party with a real man?”
“It was just a question, Pete. Do you have an answer or not?”
“And I asked you what the answer was worth.”
“Shut it, Bradshaw.” Daniel stepped up next to me. “Just forget she asked and leave.”
“Or what? Mooney ain’t around to mess people up for her. And what can you do?”
Daniel clenched his fists at his sides, but he didn’t move.
“That’s what I thought,” Pete said. He turned slightly, like he was about to leave again, but then he suddenly lunged at Daniel and shoved him hard. Daniel stumbled back and fell over the box of trash I’d left by the Dumpster.
“No!” I yelled, and ran to Daniel.
I tried to help him stand, but he waved me off. His face twisted into a terrible wince as he pushed himself up from the asphalt. A red slash painted his forearm, and I gasped when I saw a shard of bloodstained glass sticking out of the box where Daniel had fallen.
“Oh my … Are you okay?”
At the same time I heard someone from the group of guys call to Pete. “You need some help?” The guy named Ty and another one of Pete’s friends approached from the group.
I expected my body to tense, acknowledging the danger surrounding us, and my powers to seep into my muscles with that aching, familiar pain—but nothing happened. Crap, I thought. This was no time for my powers to hit the Snooze button. I needed them now.
“You going to fight?” Pete stepped up in front of Daniel. His two friends flanked us on both sides. “Or you gonna let me use you as a punching bag?”
“Better me than Grace,” Daniel said, gripping his bleeding arm.
“How do you know she’s not next?” Pete asked as he pulled back his fist.